I agree with Neal. Snowbird Creek is no secret. Any stream that is stocked is not a secret. The spec section is not stocked, but its also 5 miles away from any roads...

IMO, any stream that takes more than 60 minutes to get to is probably safe to talk about on some levels. If a person would rather not, I have no problem with that, but chastising someone who talks about a stocked stream or one that is 5 miles from any roads is a bit much. Very few people will make the effort to hike an hour and a half. Just because a report is posted about some far off stream does not mean that a) it will get anymore pressure than it already does and b) guarantee that anyone reading the report will have the same likelihood of success...

Besides, Eastern FlyFishing Magazine did a very nice article on Snowbird Creek in its March 2008 issue. Also, a nice article was done for the Game&Fish website detailing some of the best walk-in fishing in WNC, by a certain author who contributes to this forum...

Anyway, most of the fish in Snowbird probably have ended up in Santeetlah Lake today...(after 3.5 inches of rain yesterday in the Robbinsville area)

__________________"Even a fish wouldn't get into trouble if he kept his mouth shut."

Thanks for the response back guys. The brookie section was some of the most beautiful water I have ever fished. I will certainly be back ( I guess I will go alone again , at risk of injury, but I know the importance of secrecy)......

The last time I went to Snowbird creek and hiked in, I couldn't get a 50 yard stretch of water to myself from above Big falls all the way past upper falls. I still caught plenty of fish but the remote feel and solitude just wasn't there. This was several years ago so maybe things have calmed down or I may have just caught it on an off day. I'm impressed you only ran across two other fisherman on the trail. Regardless of that, post away if you want to. It is a highly talked about stream and the fishing has always been excellent. You could always alter the stream name in your reports and call it something like Winter Traveller Creek, Retiree Creek, or Warm Weather Fan Creek.

All--The key factor of change on Big Snowbird Creek, and the reason I've begun writing about it in recent years, is accessibility. Since the construction of the Cherohala Highway bushwhacking into the headwaters (and poaching) is far too easy. I'm sure all of you have gone the traditional way, up the trail (actually an old railroad grade) which begins at the Junction (old railroad turnstile), across Sasafrass Creek, past Mouse Knob Branch at the head of Mouse Knob Falls, and into speck water. But there are other, much shorter ways, down Meadow Branch and other feeders. Locals know them as do others with good woodscraft skills. In short, far from being secret, Big Snowbird is very well known and really quite accessible.
Now there are some other destinations in Graham County that I'll say and write nothing whatsoever about.
Jim Casadawww.jimcasadaoutdoors.com

I am sorry that I didnt make myself clear, I just joined and so I am sure that my post was brief and lacking of any meat. The fishing was great and yes there were smallish fish bit there were several nice fish caught. I must have fished several miles. I will take the size of these fish any day. Jim look forward to getting your book . Is it at the fly shop at South Park? My office is in Charlotte so I am there often.

Welcome to the board Rockhopper.
Is it possible that the "bigger" fish you were catching were in a stocked section of the stream?

I feel that I would like to express my opinion on the idea of not mentioning stream names on the board. I saw this policy implemented on another southeast trout fishing forum and I believe it hurt alot more than it helped. Snowbird is by no means a super delicate fragile hidden gem. It is a great stream and needs to be shared with others. I firmly believe that we need to encourage all fellow fishermen to get out as much as possible as our sport is in jeopardy of losing participants as its members age. Newer fishermen will be turned off on the sport, and, more importantly, protecting the resource, if they do not have good info on where to fish. Moreover, you can find out about more streams than you can cover in a lifetime through any of the better books that have been written recently on fishing for trout in the south. Most of the remote little brookie streams are too far back for most to bother with. Also, I have personally discussed this idea of "overfishing" with Steve Moore, head fisheries biologist for GSMNP. He has more hard data and a career's worth of experience to prove that angling does little if any to affect fish populations, specifically to brook trout streams (he was instrumental in opening most of the brook trout waters in the park). And do you remember how little effect fishermen had on the stream that the biologists asked people to catch and keep all the fish you can before they chemically removed all the rainbows from? Most he said are actually overpopulated and benefit from thinning out the populations. He even asked me to keep a few fish along to help with this! I understand everyone wanting to protect their favorite headwaters, but I believe we hurt more than we help by not sharing it with like-minded, conservation-supporting fishermen. The more you see of our wonderful resources, the more you will do to protect them.
Sincerely,
Jedidiah Green
PS- I am off to our local TU Christmas banquet and plan on putting some money where my mouth is tonight!